Lecture 03 - Natural and Quasi Experiments
A good research question should produce knowledge that solves real-world problems and guides policy decisions, with a practical and credible research design
Theory is essential in research design, whether implicit or explicit, as it helps generate hypotheses, informs design choices, and guides inference strategies
Operationalisation is the process of translating theoretical concepts into measurable variables, such as turning “social isolation” into the frequency of social interactions
Pre-registration involves filing research designs and hypotheses publicly to reduce bias, improve credibility, and distinguish between pre-planned and exploratory analyses
The reproducibility crisis in science highlights the need for transparent and replicable research, with pre-registration and pre-analysis plans helping address this issue
The EGAP research design form provides a blueprint for creating robust research designs, covering key components like hypotheses, population, intervention, outcomes, and analysis
The MIDA framework (Model, Inquiry, Data, Answer) helps researchers simulate and diagnose their designs before implementation, ensuring they can answer their research questions effectively
DeclareDesign is a tool that allows researchers to declare, diagnose, and design their studies using the MIDA framework, improving the quality and credibility of research
A two-arm trial is a common experimental design where units are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, and the average treatment effect (ATE) is estimated
Alignment between research design and theoretical frameworks is necessary for generating credible and actionable results, even when experiments are not feasible